Starjammers Just Don't Compare
by freegirl
Summary: Claire Crane, vampire and pyrokinetic, joins the Air Force--only to discover a monumental secret: a way to visit other planets! Rating may change to T
1. Departure

Claire hesitantly knocked on the door to Professor Xavier's office, then clasped her hands behind her back.

"Come in."

Claire soundlessly opened the door and stepped inside the office. Professor Xavier sat across his desk from her, and gestured for her to sit down. She complied.

"Professor…" Claire began.

"It's all right, Claire," he interrupted. "I know why you're here."

"And you're okay with it?" she asked uncertainly.

"Certainly," replied Xavier. "You've completed your education here, and you have the choice to do what you like with your life. We could have used you as a staff member, but as I said, the choice is yours."

"Thanks, Professor," Claire said in relief. "I want to prove we're just as good as everyone else, and I think this is the way to do it. I've talked with Philip, and he's okay with it too. He said joining the Air Force would be good for me. According to him, I have a 'discipline problem'." She smiled, remembering her brother's smirk.

The Professor smiled too. "Well, you have been known to disregard the rules—more than once," he pointed out.

"Don't I know it." Claire's grin widened as she recalled the various times she had snuck into the mansion past curfew. After she got caught once by Wolverine, Claire had decided she'd had enough sneaking out. Wolverine was unforgiving to curfew-breakers, and she had been assigned extra Danger Room sessions for two weeks.

"Well, Claire, I'll arrange for your departure in about an hour. Is that all right?" the Professor asked.

"Yes, that's fine. I'll just say goodbye to Philip one last time, then," she said.

"Very well," he replied, nodding. It was a clear dismissal. Claire rose and left the office.

When Claire returned to her room, she was unsurprised to see her brother Philip sitting on the bed, his black feathered wings splayed out behind him.

"Well? What did he say?" he questioned her.

"He said I'm leaving in an hour."

"Whoa. I was expecting at least a day to say goodbye." He was silent for a moment. "I guess I won't be seeing you for a while, then."

"Don't worry; I'll visit when I get time off," Claire assured him.

"I know you will," Philip replied confidently. "So, are you all packed? I would hate to have to give your stuff away." He smirked sarcastically.

Claire returned the smile. "I'm sure you would," she replied with equal sarcasm. "And to answer your actual question, yes, I am packed."

Suddenly Philip was serious again. "I'll miss you," he told her in a low voice.

"I'll miss you too, Philip." Claire hugged him, careful not to squash his wings. "Now let go, I want to get a picture of you." He released her and she stepped back. Philip smiled, and Claire imprinted the image in her memory. Now she could always have a piece of home with her, no matter where she was.

There was a small knock, and Claire turned to see Storm in the doorway.

"Ready to go?" the black woman asked.

"Yes, I'm coming." Claire picked up her duffel bag, took a last glance at her brother, and followed Storm out the door.


	2. Exposed

A month later, Claire had settled comfortably into life in the Air Force. At first she had struggled with being ordered around, a few times almost hissing at her "superior officer" Colonel Grant in anger. Now Claire had somewhat gotten used to it, though she still resented the strictness of military protocol—"yes, sir" and "no, sir" and so on. It was much too formal for her.

Now, in the room she shared with another cadet, Claire was reflecting on the best way to confess to the Colonel that she had been sneaking out at night. How could she explain that it was necessary without him locking her up? It wasn't as if he would trust her once her secret was out. Most people were just suspicious of mutants.

As Claire was thinking, her roommate came in and cleared her throat. Claire glanced up.

"Colonel Grant wants you in the infirmary for your monthly medical exam," she announced.

"All right," Claire said. "I'm coming." She got up off her cot and brushed past her roommate out the door.

On her way to the infirmary, a plan was forming in Claire's mind. A full medical exam would almost certainly reveal one of her various physical abnormalities marking her as a mutant. Perhaps she should just be a bit careless and let them discover her secret for themselves. They were bound to find out eventually.

Claire knocked on the doorway to the infirmary. Dr. Hill, the head of medical staff, looked up from her computer. "Cadet!" she greeted Claire.

"Doctor," replied Claire, nodding. "I was told it's time for my monthly examination."

"Yes, let's get started," said the doctor. "First I'm just going to take your temperature," she continued, holding up a thermometer. Claire took it from her and inserted it under her tongue.

Dr. Hill waited a moment, then removed the thermometer. She examined it, her brow furrowing as she read Claire's temperature. "That's strange," she commented. "Your temperature is 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Have you been feeling all right?"

"I've been feeling just fine, Dr. Hill," Claire told her. "I haven't got the flu, if that's what you're thinking."

"Well, a fever could mean any number of things, not just the flu," the doctor replied. She listened to her breathing with a stethoscope. Then she took a small penlight and shone it into each of Claire's eyes in turn. Both tests produced normal results.

"I've never noticed what a unique eye color you have, Cadet. It's not often I meet someone with golden yellow eyes," commented the doctor after she had shone the light into Claire's eyes. "Do you have tinted contacts?"

"No, that's my natural eye color," Claire told her.

"Really? How strange…" Dr. Hill was silent for a moment as she continued with the examination. Then she asked, "Do any of your relatives have a similar eye color?"

"No."

The doctor picked up a tongue depressor and asked Claire to open her mouth. Claire complied, sticking her tongue out and mentally bracing herself.

"Um, Cadet? Do you have crowns?" asked Dr. Hill after a moment of silence. Claire closed her mouth briefly so she could reply "no".

"Then what… what are these?" the doctor gently touched the tip of one of Claire's canine teeth, which were longer than average.

"They're my teeth," she said matter-of-factly.

The doctor frowned at Claire. "I need more of an explanation than that," she told her.

Claire lowered her voice to a whisper. "Do you believe in vampires, Doctor?"

"No… You're joking, right?" Dr. Hill sounded nervous.

"Of course not. Why would I joke about something so serious?" Claire's voice was smooth and low.

"You're trying to tell me… you're a vampire?" the doctor asked incredulously.

"Well why else would I have fangs like these?" Claire asked her, baring her fangs.

Dr. Hill eyed her patient silently, who stared right back.

"All right, if you don't believe I'm a vampire, maybe you'll believe I'm a mutant. Surely you've heard about mutants on the news?" Claire looked at the doctor questioningly.

"Yes…" she replied warily.

"Have you ever met one?"

"No."

Claire grinned, showing her fangs once more. "Now you have."

"How do I know you aren't just playing an elaborate practical joke?" the doctor asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I can prove it," her patient told her smugly. "Watch this." Claire snapped her fingers, and a small flame flared to life above her palm. "I'm pyrokinetic," she stated unnecessarily. "This is why my temperature was at 99 degrees. What you should be worried about is if it gets below 98."

Dr. Hill was speechless. She gaped at the flame Claire held, blinking as if to dispell an illusion.

"Well. Now that you've made a monumental discovery about one of your cadets, shall we inform the Colonel? I'm sure he would be very disappointed if he found out you knew and didn't tell him." Claire smirked.

Still shocked, the doctor nodded numbly. "Stay here," she managed to say before rushing out the door of the infirmary. Claire observed her stationing guards outside the infirmary, telling them to keep Cadet Crane inside.

"This ought to be interesing…" Claire murmured to herself.


	3. Admissions

_Here we go_, thought Claire as Colonel Grant entered the infirmary. He was flanked by two guards, both carrying P90s. Claire stood up to greet the Colonel, and the guards aimed their weapons on her.

"That's not necessary," the Colonel assured them. They lowered their weapons. Grant turned to Claire. "Cadet Crane. I hear you've got something to show me," he told her.

"Yes," said Claire. "Here it is." She held up her hand and snapped her fingers, a flame igniting above her palm. Colonel Grant blinked in surprise; Dr. Hill had told him what she had seen, but he hadn't actually believed it until he saw for himself.

The Colonel was quiet for a moment, absorbed by the tiny flame in his Cadet's hand. Then he looked up and made eye contact with her. "I'm going to have to take you into custody, Cadet," he said.

Claire sighed. "I was expecting that," she said, flashing the Colonel a rueful smile.

Grant abruptly remembered one other thing Dr. Hill had told him. "Cadet, you said something to Dr. Hill about… vampires."

"And…?"

"I want to know what you meant by it," the Colonel pressed.

Claire smiled at him once more, but this time it was mischievous. "I didn't mean anything by it, Colonel," she said innocently. "These,"--she bared her teeth—"are just part of my mutation. An accessory, I guess you could call them."

"And you were joking when you implied you were a… vampire."

"Yes," Claire admitted. "I like to scare people."

The Colonel sighed. Cadet Crane had always been rather difficult, but that had mostly been due to her reluctance to follow orders. Now he had a whole new problem on his hands.

"Well, Cadet, like I said, I'm going to have to take you into custody." He paused, and then continued. "I have to make some calls, and I'll inform you when we know what to do with you. Understood?"

"Yessir," Claire said, saluting with a grin.

Sighing again, Colonel Grant exited the infirmary.

* * *

A few days later, Colonel Grant was in his office on the phone.

"We've never encountered a situation like this before, Mr. President," he said. "No, I am not prejudiced. What I'm trying to say is, Cadet Crane has deliberately exposed herself for what she is, and I don't think we want to punish her for that. And I can't hold her here forever." Grant was silent for a moment while the President talked from the other end. "Yes sir. Understood." He hung up.

The Colonel sat still for a few seconds, considering what to say to Cadet Crane. Then he stood up, left his office, and began making his way towards her holding cell.

In her cell, Claire was lying on her cot staring at the ceiling when the door opened to reveal Colonel Grant. She sat up.

"Cadet," he greeted her.

"Colonel," she replied, nodding to him. "I hope you have news. This cell is getting boring after a few days."

Grant ignored her second comment, choosing to respond to the first. "Yes. I talked to the President, and I'm glad to tell you that you no longer have to stay in here."

"Wow. I'm that important," Claire murmured to herself, pleased.

"However," continued the Colonel, "that is because you are being transferred to somewhere more secure."

Claire's pleasure evaporated at this latest revelation. She frowned and looked up at Colonel Grant. "Where am I going?" she asked.

"Colorado," he told her, somewhat relieved she hadn't been angry. He had seen her fiery temper before, and it was not something he'd enjoyed.

"All right. When do I leave?" Claire asked. She was impatient to leave her cell behind.

"A helicopter will be here in an hour," Grant informed her. "Is there anything you'd like to take with you?" he asked.

"Nope," she replied. "I didn't bring much stuff. My only personal item is up here." She tapped her temple.

For a moment, Colonel Grant stayed silent, confused. Then he shook himself mentally and told Claire, "All right, Cadet. I'll see you off in an hour."

Claire saluted rather sarcastically as he left. "Likewise."


	4. Welcome to Cheyenne Mountain

When it was time for Claire's departure, she was pacing the length of her cell impatiently. The past hour had been especially difficult for her to endure, feeling the time tick sluggishly past as she waited for her helicopter to arrive. She had never been good at waiting, particularly when she was only free to move about in a limited amount of space.

When Colonel Grant entered her cell once more, Claire whipped her head around to stare at him. "Please tell me the helicopter is here," she said.

Grant was surprised by her impatience. Cadet Crane had lived in her holding cell for two days, and now she was pacing after an hour? Perhaps it was the fact that she was anticipating the helicopter's arrival that made her so anxious. In any case, her wait was over. "Yes, it's here. It's waiting for you outside," he told her.

"Good." Claire followed the Colonel out the door of her cell, down the hall, and out of the building. Two guards shadowed her closely.

Outside, a helicopter sat idling while Claire was escorted to it. Its blades whirred deafeningly, and she winced as she climbed in. The soldiers inside watched her warily. As Claire sat down between two of the men, they scooted to either side to give her room. Clearly they had been told she was a mutant.

"It's okay, I don't bite," Claire assured them jokingly. She smiled to herself. The soldiers glanced at each other and ignored her.

Outside the helicopter, people were clearing the surrounding area for takeoff. The copilot turned to look back at his passengers and said, "Strap yourselves in." Everyone complied.

Claire felt a lurch as the helicopter lifted off. Then the upward motion became smoother, and they turned west towards Colorado.

* * *

Two hours later, the helicopter arrived in Colorado. As it touched down, Claire craned her neck to get a view out the window. She couldn't see much because of the angle, but she did get a glimpse of soldiers patrolling in front of a tunnel leading into a mountain. On the top arch of the tunnel, "Cheyenne Mountain Complex" was written in white letters.

_Whoa_, thought Claire. _When they say secure, they mean it!_

The door of the helicopter opened to reveal a cluster of soldiers. The man at the front of the group wore a crisp navy-blue uniform, with a white collared shirt underneath. He had short, slightly messy brown hair tinged with gray, brown eyes, and a relaxed expression.

"Welcome to Cheyenne Mountain," he said. "I'm General Jack O'Neill; I run things around here. You must be Cadet Crane." He looked to Claire for confirmation.

"Yup, that's me," she replied nonchalantly.

O'Neill smiled to himself at her casual response, but said nothing. He motioned for Claire to follow him as he walked away from the helicopter and towards a truck at the entrance to the tunnel. She left the helicopter and trailed behind the General, flanked by two soldiers. The procession piled into the truck, continued down the tunnel, and then they were swallowed up in the darkness of the mountain.


End file.
